Hot Chocolate Confessions
by epochalypse
Summary: Midnight. The Burrow. Hot chocolate. Hermione confesses, but to the wrong twin. Three-shot.
1. The Burrow

**A/N: This is my first time writing a Hermione/Fred fic so ... yeah. I'd appreciate it if you'll read/review? (:**

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling owns pretty much everything here.**

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><p><span>I. The Burrow<span>

Heavy, clumsy footsteps were coming down the stairs. It was late, past midnight. Hermione clutched her mug of hot chocolate as she took a few sips from it. Her brow furrowed in annoyance, she assumed that she would be alone. But at The Burrow, no one could ever really get their own private time.

A tall figure walked sleepily past the living room and shuffled into the kitchen. Hermione stared at the figure, confirming it as one of the Weasley twins. She put her mug down on the coffee table and sighed. Perhaps it wasn't fated for her to get any time for deep thought.

"Merlin, Hermione," Fred said, startled, holding a rather large sandwich in his hand. "I definitely didn't see you there." Hermione looked at him and gave him a small, tired smile.

Fred sat down opposite Hermione and took a bite of his sandwich. "Want some?" He offered during mouthfuls of bread and ham. Hermione shook her head politely. She was tired.

"You've been crying, eh?" Fred asked Hermione. "Your eyes are red." Hermione blushed. "Yeah, I guess I have," She took a few more sips of hot chocolate. "You wanna talk about it?" Fred asked her. "It's about my idiot brother, isn't it?" Hermione nodded.

Just the very thought of him sent another tear down her cheek. "The Hermione I know doesn't break down for a boy, alright?" Fred tried to comfort Hermione.

"Do you think he'll ever like me?" Hermione asked him quietly. "I've never really noticed how much I liked him since, since … well, it's been ages, really." Fred stood up and sat next to Hermione. "I thought it was just a silly crush, but now, I think I really, really do like him." Hermione sighed.

"He doesn't even know I exist. Merlin, he notices almost every other Gryffindor except me." Fred patted her back, softly. "Of course, to him I bet I'm only like a sister, a nerdy, bookish girl that no one will ever fancy."

Fred finished off his sandwich. "You're a great girl, 'Mione, you have brains that everyone's jealous of," He mumbled. "You're kind and warm, you're practically an angel. You're the most brilliant witch of our age." Hermione laughed softly. "Heck, I'd consider myself lucky if I could ever get a girl like you, 'Mione," Fred laughed, stretching, putting an arm around her.

"Ron's an idiot not to notice you." Hermione stifled a giggle and rested her head on his arm. "I'm not talking about Ron, George," Hermione whispered, looking at the ceiling. "I thought, based on the last time we talked, you clearly knew how I felt about Fred."

Fred's mind was spinning. He wasn't George. Of course, they were identical until the last freckle, but he was Fred! And Hermione, of all people, took a fancy to him? But she couldn't even recognize him!

Well, it was late, and the only light illuminating the room came from the fireplace. But honestly, how could she have mistaken him for George? And he called her brilliant!

"'Mione, come here," Fred said softly, pulling her into a hug and planting a soft, chaste kiss on her lips. "I'm Fred, not George."

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><p><strong>AN: Should it stay a oneshot or should I continue it? Please tell me (:**


	2. The Wedding

**A/N: Okay, I have no idea is this is going to be as good as I expected it to be but ... that's entirely up to you to tell me. Which I hope you do. I hope you all enjoy this chapter! And now obviously the title of the story might not match up to this but, lets just say it's a threeshot? (this story will be based on the book, by the way.)  
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**Disclaimer: Nothing owned by me.**

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><p>II. The Wedding<p>

Bill and Fleur took the first dance of the night as they were legally bonded as man and wife. Other couples joined them soon after. The Lovegoods were dancing lightly waving their arms over their heads with their eyes closed, earning them looks from the various guests.

Hermione could feel the tension building up sitting between Viktor and Ron. Viktor was watching the dancers but she could see from the corner of her eye that Ron was clearly uncomfortable with the current seating arrangement.

Viktor leaned in to talk to Harry, who was disguised as Cousin Barny, about the necklace on Xenophillius Lovegood's neck.

Fred and George appeared in front of her, both of them looking suavely handsome in their dress robes. Fred extended his hand towards Hermione and flashed her a cheeky grin. "Dance with me." Hermione smiled demurely, trying to conceal the happiness bursting within as she took off with Fred.

George plopped himself on Hermione's now-vacant seat and put an arm around a now-scowling Ron. "Is there something I don't know, Ronniekins?" George winked. "Any particular reason you look like you're about to scream bloody murder?"

"Why is Hermione dancing with Fred?" Ron nodded towards his brother and his best friend dancing happily to the conveniently slow song that was playing. "They like each other," George shrugged. "It's not the hardest thing in the world to see, mate." Fred and Hermione were erupting in giggles on the dance floor as soon as the song ended.

"How?" Ron asked George. He shrugged again. "Ronniekins, how do I explain this … The heart wants what the heart wants," George grinned playfully. "You don't deny the heart." Ron glared at George. "Besides, she's just your best friend; do you love her or something?" George nudged Ron. Ron's face could very well have matched the colour of his hair. "She was supposed to be mine!" Ron growled.

George patted his back. "She liked you , you know, last year," George said. "But you were always with that other girl so she turned to me and Fred for support." Ron stared at him. "Hermione? Are you serious? She liked me? Me?" Ron burst out. "How do you know she likes Fred, anyway?" George rolled his eyes like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "She told me because I asked her if she did."

Ron groaned and put his hands between his head. His chance, gone.

They were both too caught up in their conversion to notice that Fred and Hermione had quietly slipped away from the party.

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><p>Fred and Hermione walked side by side away from the crowd towards the small hill near The Burrow. "You look great, Hermione, I mean, wow," Fred said softly. She beamed back at him and walked closer to him. "Can I hold your hand?" Fred asked her, surprisingly shy. "Frederick Gideon Weasley, you kissed me without warning but now you ask whether you can hold my hand?" Hermione laughed, extending her hand towards him, which he took, lacing his fingers between hers.<p>

"Do you really want to do this?" Hermione asked him. "This relationship I mean, I'm not going to force you or anything – " Fred's hand was on her mouth. "Shush, noisy. It's not every day I ask to hold a girl's hand, 'Mione." Fred smiled softly down at her. He towered over her, being one of the tallest in her family.

They walked until they reached the hill. They could see the nearby Muggle village all lighted up illuminating the darkness. Fred sat down first, then Hermione.

"The stars are very bright tonight…" Hermione mumbled. Fred looked at her. "I don't know if it's the right time to say this but, Hermione, I'd like to try this out, this relationship thing. I may not be a good boyfriend or anything but I can try." Fred took her hand. They sat in silence.

"I really don't know why you like me, 'Mione," Fred mumbled, breaking the silence. "I'm not the best looking bloke in Hogwarts." Hermione laughed. "You're indescribable, Fred, that's what's attractive. You're funny too," She leaned against him.

"After the war, I'd like to go places," Fred said. "I'd like to go to Italy. And I'd bring you along with me." Hermione faked a scowl. "I won't be your babysitter, Fred." Fred laughed. "I'd like to know you better before, before we decide to be serious with each other."

Hermione leaned against his shoulder, hugging his arm. "We can find your parents too, you know," He said kindly, running his hand through her hair. "Restore their memories." Fred could see Hermione's sad smile through the darkness of the night.

He put an arm around her and kissed her, softly and lightly. It felt so pure that Hermione's heart fluttered. She felt like she didn't deserve this good man.

Suddenly, there was a hush at the party. A booming voice announced the fall of the ministry. They heard the chaos at the wedding and quickly picked themselves up and ran back, hand in hand.

Harry as Cousin Barny ran up to Hermione and brought her to Ron.

"We have to leave," He said. "As soon as possible."

Ron growled. "In fact, we should leave _now_."

Hermione looked back at Fred who was now talking to George, with a worried look on his face. "I need to say goodbye. At least goodbye." She ran towards Fred and hugged him tightly, burying her face in his chest. George smiled at them, standing there to watch.

"I have to go now," She said looking up to him. He looked worried. "Promise me you'll be safe. Be careful, love, it's a dangerous place out there," Fred looked down at her, worried. "Promise me that I'll still see you after all this is over," Hermione said. "I promise. For you, I'll keep myself alive," Fred smiled. "Now, go."

Then she broke away from the hug and ran as fast as she could to join Harry and Ron. With one last longing look at Fred, she waved at both the twins before Apparating away.

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><p><strong>AN: If it was bad or abrupt or anything, please tell me so I can work on the third and final chapter. Thank you :) Please, please review! On a side note, thank you to all of you who reviewed my previous chapter and who put this story on their alert list :)  
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	3. The End

**Disclaimer: JK Rowling (the Queen) owns everything.  
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><p>III. The End<p>

Hogwarts was in ruins. The Death Eater attack had left the once glorious castle in chaos.

Hermione reached Fred and Percy battling the two hooded Death Eaters before Harry and Ron did. She couldn't help herself from giving Fred a small smile as jets of multicoloured lights flew through the air from both directions. It was the sort of effect he had on her—on everyone, regardless of the situation. He slid an arm around her waist and pulled her down behind the safety of a fallen stone guard as he kept on shooting spells.

"Glad to see you've come to join us, love," Fred smiled down to her. "—Careful!" he abruptly pinned her body closer against the stone as a green jet of light came soaring directly towards them, and blocked it. He looked down, noticing the distance between his face and hers, and sneakily gave her a peck on the cheek and winked. Hermione felt her heart flutter. "Not the right time, Fred!" Hermione hissed, and lightly pushed him away. "If not now, when?" Fred laughed.

Percy was close by, nervously taunting a Death Eater whilst hexing him 3 different ways to Sunday. Fred grinned at Percy, his brother who finally decided to fight. Suddenly, Fred instinctively pushed her away from him, towards Harry and Ron leaving himself and Percy to duel Thicknesse and the other Death Eater to go after the horcrux.

Then came the explosion. The screams of maniacal laughter. All of them were thrown in different directions. Then there was the cry, a gut-wrenching cry that expressed an infinite amount of pain.

Harry helped Hermione to her feet as they both got up from the rubble, seeing two Weasley men kneeling over the third, shaking his lifeless body.

Fred.

It was all a blur to her, she was torn. Torn between going ahead and fighting with Harry and Ron, or staying here, with Fred.

She couldn't stop her tears. She tried not to blink - but they just kept falling, relentlessly. Ron charged towards Rookwood, following Percy.

All Hermione could feel was numbness.

She felt broken. All she wanted to do was crawl to him and curl up beside his body.

But she had to be strong. He would've wanted it this way. And **hell** be damned if she let him down now.

"Go after the snake, Harry!" She found her voice through her tears. "We have to stop him!"

"Ron!" Harry bellowed. "Don't go after Rookwood! Come with me!"

"I wanna kill them all, Harry," Ron shook in rage and grief. "They can't just come in here and kill my family!"

Harry put his arm around Ron. "We can't bring Hermione," Harry mumbled. "Let her be with Fred." Ron looked at him awkwardly. "Why does she have to be with Fred?" Ron asked him. Harry forced a laugh. "There are some things she told me when you weren't around, Ron, and her relationship with Fred was one of them."

Harry looked at him. "She didn't know how to tell you, I guess she thought you'd react badly, like how you normally do."

"I saw it coming, the way they were dancing at Bill and Fleur's wedding, the looks they were giving each other," Ron sighed and continued walking. "I assumed, I just assumed that after all these months with us, me, she'd … you know, change her mind."

Harry patted his back. "Come off it, Ron, this is Hermione we're talking about. Once she makes up her mind, there's no going back. Anyway, we have a Horcrux to destroy."

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><p>Hermione sat quietly beside him and stared at Fred's body in the Great Hall. The Weasley family surrounded him while she cried silently in her own arms. George, sitting next to Hermione, was bawling; his other half was cruelly snatched away from him.<p>

Harry had finally defeated Voldemort. To win a battle, sacrifices had to be made. Unfortunately, all the innocents who had died didn't deserve their death.

Harry and Ron came over to her and engulfed her in a hug before Ron joined his family. She pulled him against her, not wanting to lose him, like how she lost Fred.

"Don't leave me, please," she begged him softly. Bewildered at seeing her allowing herself to show vulnerability, he provided her a shoulder to cry on.

But she kept on staring at his body, tears free-falling with no end. He didn't deserve to die, none of them did. Her tears slowly subsided, now falling into hiccups as Harry patted her back.

She touched her cheek, her now tear-stained cheek. His laughing face etched in her mind. _If not now, when?_ His last words to her played in her mind over and over again, his laughter echoing along.

They had so many plans after the war.

She even decided that she would take a year off and help him in his shop, learn his trade.

They were going to travel, to learn more about each other before they decided to get serious. Italy. Gone.

They were going to find her parents in Australia, restore their memories.

They were going to give this relationship a shot.

She would've spent her life with him but life is fragile. And the most precious one was taken from her so easily.

She cried, slowly at first, thinking about the times she had with Fred.

She bent towards him and gave him one last kiss, on his stone cold lips as her tear slipped from her cheek down to his. The ghost of his last laugh still played in her mind.

Hermione cried of the times she was going to have, wanted to have, but will never have with Fred.

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><p><strong>AN: I'd like to say thank you to everyone who has reviewed/alerted/favourited. Even though it was short, I appreciate everyone who supported me. I'd like to say thanks to my bestfriend who had helped me edit this chapter :) **

**/ I've written another story called 'Desiderata of Happiness' where Fred lives. Do check it out. It's still slow as I'm trying to build it up gradually. Your support is much appreciated. **

**x  
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